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WES GILBERTSON, QMI Agency

Jun 23, 2012

, Last Updated: 5:17 AM ET

REGINA - The era had already ended.

On Saturday, the Calgary Stampeders will officially sever ties with one of the holdovers.

Receiver Ken-Yon Rambo, one of the most explosive playmakers to ever wear Red & White, will reportedly be released prior to the deadline for CFL clubs to set their 46-man rosters for the opening week of the regular season.

The 33-year-old has been bothered by an Achilles injury. He joins quarterback Henry Burris — now a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats — and unemployed running back Joffrey Reynolds among the longtime Stampeders who’ve been jettisoned in the past six months.

Rambo didn’t accompany the Stamps to Regina for Friday’s pre-season tuneup against the Saskatchewan Roughriders and his teammates were instructed not to comment on the rumours regarding No. 85. Less than four hours before the opening kickoff at Mosaic Stadium, Stamps GM/head coach John Hufnagel only insisted that Rambo had not been cut — at least, not yet — and refused to elaborate on the issue.

“He has not been released as of today. Period. Next question. No more,” Hufnagel said.

It’s only a matter of time now.

Although there was a possibility the receiver would be moved to the nine-game injured list, where he would have collected his salary while he recovered from the Achilles issue. TSN’s Dave Naylor reported on Twitter the Stamps have agreed to an “arrangement” to part ways with Rambo, who was entering his eighth summer with the squad.

The former Ohio State Buckeyes standout was the CFL’s receiving champion in 2008, when he racked up a league-leading 1,473 yards — the 10th-highest single-season mark in franchise history — on 100 catches. He had five 100-yard games and celebrated eight touchdowns.

Unfortunately, Rambo hasn’t been healthy for a full campaign since. He suffered torn knee ligaments in '08 and missed the start of the following season while recovering from reconstructive surgery, and then was bothered by Achilles tendinitis last summer.

Despite missing six games due to injury, Rambo registered 695 yards and five majors on 51 catches in 2011, but his health was too often a storyline at McMahon Stadium.

Landan Talley had logged his hours as a backup and is ready to slide into Rambo’s starting role, while former Hamilton Tiger-Cats receiver Marquay McDaniel, who spent two months on the Stamps practice roster last fall, is also making a push for the position.

Rambo will finish his tenure in Calgary with 5,995 receiving yards, good enough for eighth on the all-time list. He caught 406 passes in a Stamps uniform and made 39 trips to the endzone.